ŞIRNAK — 2011 · Major Tragedy

The Roboski (Uludere) Airstrike

ClosedSources: ALast updated: 14 October 2026

On the night of 28 December 2011, a group from the villages of Ortasu (Roboski) and Gülyazı in Uludere, Şırnak, returning from the Iraqi border, was struck by military aircraft; 34 people were killed. Most of the dead were young, and 28 belonged to the same extended family. The military said the group had been mistaken for PKK militants. A parliamentary sub-commission concluded in 2013 that there was no intent; the military prosecutor decided not to prosecute in January 2014. The Constitutional Court rejected the families' application in 2015 over missing documents, and the European Court of Human Rights declared the application inadmissible in 2018. The families continued to demand a trial rather than compensation; no one has been tried.

Date: 2011
Place: Uludere, Şırnak
Category: Major Tragedy
Case Status: Closed
Coordinates: 37.3950, 42.9300 ↗

Timeline of Events

28 December 2011The group returning from the border was bombed in Uludere; 34 died.
March 2013A parliamentary sub-commission found no intent.
January 2014The military prosecutor decided not to prosecute.

24 February 2015The Constitutional Court rejected the application on procedural grounds.
17 May 2018The ECtHR declared the application inadmissible.

Sources

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